"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" is the signature hit by P.M.
Dawn from their debut album, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of
the Cross: The Utopian Experience. Song writing credit is given
to Attrell Cordes (Prince Be of P.M. Dawn) and Gary Kemp of
Spandau Ballet as the song is built around samples of their
1983 hit "True", as well as samples from The Soul Searchers'
"Ashley's Roachclip." Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley
made a cameo in the video to this song; appearing near the end
of the video.
This song was the group's first (and only) #1 hit on the Hot
100, and also reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart. It ranks #81
on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. The song was the first
number one song after the debut of the Nielsen SoundScan
system, which monitored airplay and sales more closely than
before when
Billboardhad to rely on humans to report sales and
airplay data. According to the test charts of the SoundScan
system, "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" was at number one for at
least three weeks, but officially has a one-week reign at
number one.
The opening verse is influenced by the Joni Mitchell song
"The Boho Dance". The original "A camera pans the cocktail
hour/ Behind a blind of potted palms" becomes "The camera pans
the cocktail glass/ Behind a blind of plastic plants", and the
line "Subterranean by your own design" is echoed as
"Subterranean by design". In the second verse, they mention two
hit songs from 1985. "Careless whisper from a careless man"
refers to "Careless Whisper" by George Michael, and "A neutron
dance for a neutron fan" makes reference to "Neutron Dance" by
The Pointer Sisters. The line
"Christina Applegate, you gotta put me on"is a reference
to the song "Bonita Applebum" by A Tribe Called Quest.
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